Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Lady Thief by Wend Petzler

Forced to hide her identity when her parents are murdered, Eiry Savoy dons the hood of a thief. When her enemies come too close, she realizes she needs a nobleman to deter the Sheriff of Derbyshire. Her godfather suggests the Butcher of Acre. Lucian Martine returns from the Crusades a much changed man, haunted by what he had committed in the service of Richard the Lionheart. When William Pembroke offers him a new life, he accepts, wishing to retire from war. What he doesn't expect is to find the child living in a rundown castle with a comely maid and a defiant stable boy. Or the peasants seeking his aid against a tyrant. Can Lucian find the strength to be the hero Eiry sees him to be? Will the Butcher have his heart stolen by Lady Thief or will he betray her to keep his honor?

With LADY THIEF Wend Petzler delivers on her promise to take us on a grand adventure and sweep us away form our normal world into the exciting realm of history full of romance. Occasionally, a modern expression slips in but the story is too good for the reader to be distracted for more than a moment.

Lady Eiry Savoy puts her life on the line to keep her sister Lilia safe, to avenge her parents’ wrongful death, and to help the people survive who have been disenfranchised by the greedy nobility of twelfth century England. When she knows she can no longer truly protect her sister, Eiry makes a bargain with the crusade knight called the Butcher of Acre who seems soulless.

Secrecy, lies, and political intrigue abound in LADY THIEF. The lady thief plies her trade along the King’s Highway in the Peake Forest next to Sherwood Forest.Here she saves Lucian Martine’s (the Butcher of Acre) life as he and his men make their way to Sanctuary, the home of Lilia and Eiry who pretends to be Lilia’s nanny.

The love scenes are awesome and the vivid secondary characters make this a wonderful story that is breathtaking at times and fraught with immense anxiety at other times.

LADY THIEF brought to mind some of my favorite characters of long ago that seemed like a bonus. This one is a true pleasure to read.

RATING EXPLANATION:

1 Star— At this time, we at LASR do not post these reviews. If the book was boring, badly edited, poorly written, had little or no plot, stilted dialogue, and/or unsympathetic characters, we will decline the review.

2 Stars— Not wonderful, but tolerable. There may be some minor editing glitches but not enough to stop you reading. Not a wall-banger, but nothing you'd re-read. This is a book you would borrow from the library - not buy - and never check out again.

3 Stars— Good. Mostly enjoyable. You made it through and didn't consider it a waste of time or money. The story was strong enough or the conflict tight enough, so even when the book faltered, it was able to draw you back in and keep you. There's a chance you'll recommend it to a friend, but it wouldn't go on your keeper shelf.

4 Stars— Very Good. You're glad you were the one who got to review the book. You would probably buy it and would definitely recommend it to your friends. You liked the characters and the plot. The writing style was good and the editing clean.

5 Stars— Great! You would definitely buy this book. You would definitely recommend it to your friends. You really loved the characters and the plot and would consider looking for this authors back list or making her an autobuy. The writing and editing were superb.

LASR Best Book - For a book or story that is truly exceptional. You think about it when you're not reading it. You wonder what happens to the characters when you finish. You would absolutely buy everything else this author had to offer. The highest praise - and reserved for only a few.

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